and though I have prayed for water all
summer, supplicating the sky
to extinguish this asthmatic smoke,
today, I lower my head as if trapped
under a gray cloud ceiling
this rain announces its reunion
to the ground with her early scent of petrichor
an aroma that should be hope,
but I wish the clouds would leave
selfishly, I want to see an open sky
without the yellow haze
the waters finally arrive, and the dust
like soil trembles with relief as the thick
beads reach the ground’s parched skin
the dirt jumps, each drop forms a circle
the dust leaps to join, they make a crown
this is soil and water private celebration
Amelia Díaz Ettinger
Amelia Díaz Ettinger is a Latinx BIPOC poet and writer currently residing in Eastern Oregon. She has five books of poetry, and her poems and short stories can be found in many anthologies, literary magazines, and periodicals. She has an MS in Biology and an MFA in creative writing.